Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 634 Wednesday 22 March 2023
Weekly news round-up of nursing and health information in New Zealand and internationally
New Zealand news
Position update riles up NPs: College stands by statement for members on nurse practitioners
Dr Murton says the college has told Nurse Practitioners New Zealand it is open to considering NPs' revised wording suggestions, but this would ...
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How we can better protect the wellbeing of New Zealand nurses | The Spinoff
With much of New Zealand’s healthcare workforce running on empty, one healthcare provider wants to change the way the sector approaches employee wellbeing.
Nurse who questioned if medicine he was providing to patients was legally obtained awarded $23k
A nurse who was fired after he questioned whether the medicine he was providing to patients was legally allowed in New Zealand has been awarded more than $23,000.
Nurse claims unfair sacking from IV therapy company was 'retaliation' - NZ Herald
A nurse who worked for a mobile healthcare business that provided intravenous vitamins to its customers has been awarded $23,000 after he was unjustifiably dismissed.
International news
International councils discuss priority areas for nurse education | Nursing Times
Global leaders in nursing and midwifery education have come together to discuss the key issues facing students across the world and potential international collaboration to find solutions.
N.S. nursing regulator to speed up process to accept applicants from seven countries - MSN
HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s nursing regulator is reducing the timeline for nurses from other provinces and seven foreign countries to be licensed to practise in the province.
Foreign-educated nurses say health care staff shortage solution already in Canada | Globalnews.ca
Michelle Banaag wanted to be a nurse ever since she was young.
She said she thought the profession was heroic and she wanted to help people.
“It’s kind of a more fulfilling, satisfying feeling when you have cared for another person,” she said.
'We've shed many tears': a day in the life of an NHS nurse – photo essay - The Guardian
We follow Bejoy Sebastian, a senior nurse at University College London hospital, a member of a critical care team who travel from all over the city to care for the very sick
End of NHS strikes finally in sight as ministers 'agree' new multi-billion pay deal with unions
The government has offered over one million staff a 5 per cent pay rise next year
Both sides agree deal is a 'fair and reasonable settlement', No10 said
Pandemic burnout worsens nursing shortages in hospitals across U.S. | PBS NewsHour
The national nursing shortage dates back decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed it to crisis levels. One study predicts that in the next two years, there will be a shortage of up to 450,000 bedside nurses in the U.S. Stephanie Sy explores how the medical staffing shortage is affecting patients and why nurses are leaving hospitals for other jobs.
Nurses aren't 'quiet quitters,' 2 leaders say
"Quiet quitting" is a phrase employers have become familiar with over the past year. The workplace trend of committing to no more than the minimum expectations for a role and reducing enthusiasm at work has implications for any industry, but the stakes are especially high in healthcare, where patients' safety could be at risk
To Offset Nursing Shortage Some Nursing Schools Offer Loan Forgiveness Programs
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics there will be more than 203,000 yearly job openings for registered nurses (RNs) by 2031. With greater demand for nursing services, increasing turnover and short staffing, a small number of nursing schools are among a growing list offering loan forgiveness programs in order to channel more nurses into the health care system.
Virtual Nursing May Aid Workforce Shortages
Wendy Deibert, RN, a senior vice president of clinical solutions at Caregility, a telehealth technology and services company, was interviewed by Healthcare IT News to discuss the benefits of a hybrid approach to nursing that employs telehealth.
Challenges of recruiting nurses from Nepal
Radha Adhikari highlights the difficulties for healthcare workers in Nepal and the UK, both of which have shortages
‘If we leave, Nepal will suffer’: embattled hospitals fear impact of UK job offers
As Nepali nurses weigh up the benefits of an NHS salary, any staff drain will worsen shortages in the country’s creaking healthcare system
Climate change
Storm shock leaves Coromandel considering health options including ferries, planes, rural generalists
If the Coromandel gets cut off in another storm, health professionals could be flown or ferried in.
Health planning in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, which took out several key roads, is looking at those ideas, along with getting more primary care generalists in rural areas and using telehealth.
Education
Healthcare students don’t reflect Aotearoa’s diverse society, research shows
Māori, Pasifika and people from lower socioeconomic and rural backgrounds are “systemically underrepresented" in tertiary healthcare courses in Aotearoa, new research shows.
Inspiring young Pasifika and Māori women to choose a career in the sciences - NZ Herald
In Aotearoa, women make up 28 per cent of the current science, technology, engineering and math workforce - a statistic some motivated teenagers are working to change. Read more
Te Whatu Ora Health NZ
Health focus must shift from plans to action to address surgery wait times | Stuff.co.nz
Michael Hundleby is a health system advisor and a former senior Ministry of Health official whose role included oversight of elective surgery.
OPINION: In July 2020 all the DHBs in New Zealand were merged into Te Whatu Ora
Counties Manukau fails to meet cancer treatment target
People suspected of having cancer are facing delays in getting treatment in Counties Manukau, with the area’s biggest health provider failing to meet its own targets.
HDC and disciplinary cases
Auckland nurse discharged without conviction for hugging colleague 'too tightly' | Stuff.co.nz
A nurse has been discharged without conviction after hugging a fellow nurse “too tightly” at Auckland City Hospital in February 2021.
Man died after colonoscopy carried out without full knowledge of medical history | Stuff.co.nz
A man died at Nelson Hospital after a surgeon performed a colonoscopy without realising he only had one lung.
Health workforce
More Than 160,000 New Kiwis To Call NZ Home
Over 160,000 people have become New Zealand residents now that 80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visa (2021RV) applications have been processed, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today.
Programmes underway to naturalise foreign-trained doctors - 1News
Pilot programmes are now underway in Auckland and Hamilton to familiarise doctors with the practices of New Zealand's hospitals and GP clinics.
Mental health
Mental health service pilot in Taranaki shares police load
A mental health service, which has been piloted in Taranaki since last July, aims to improve the response to people in distress.
Primary health care
GPs losing nurses to hospitals because of huge pay gap | Stuff.co.nz
The practice nurse workforce is ageing, and younger nurses are the “lifeblood of general practice.” “Unfortunately, as in our situation it is ...
Pharmacy
Pharmac prioritised Māori and Pacific patients for diabetes drugs - and it’s working
The controversial 2021 decision by the government drug-buying agency Pharmac to prioritise Māori and Pacific patients in its funding of two game-changing new diabetes drugs appears to have paid off.
Reports and journals
Recover to Rebuild
The International Council of Nurses has published a new report that says health systems around the world will only start to recover from the effects of the pandemic and begin to be rebuilt when there is sufficient investment in a well-supported global nursing workforce.
The report, Recover to Rebuild: Investing in the Nursing Workforce for Health System Effectiveness, includes data from more than 100 studies from around the world, which highlight the toll the pandemic has taken on individual nurses and the profession as a whole.
It concludes that unless there are sufficient numbers of nurses who are well-motivated, educated and supported, the global health system will not be rebuilt. What is needed are co-ordinated policy responses, both within countries and internationally, that will protect and support the global nursing workforce in their vital roles in rebuilding health systems that were damaged by the pandemic
Pandemic preparedness for the real world Why we must invest in equitable, ethical and effective approaches to help prepare for the next pandemic
Drawing on a growing body of social science evidence, this report contends that securing health in the face of today’s uncertain disease threats in often unpredictable settings means making social, economic and political priorities as core to the preparedness agenda as biological and technological ones. We present here a framework for a vision of pandemic preparedness for the real world – one that accepts that context is paramount, embraces inclusivity and justice, shifts power centres and rejects simplistic, one-size-fits-all solutions.
Articles of interest
Ethical aspects of professional migration
David Thomas, Rachel Miller, and Fiona Nolan
Nursing Ethics
Volume 30, Issue 2
https://doi.org/10.1177/09697330231161896
[editorial] International recruitment is a means by which health and social care services in England have sought to compensate for shortages of local health and social care workers. The ethical aspects of health workforce migration are complex and multi-faceted, and the arguments for and against are well-rehearsed. On the one hand, supporters of international recruitment cite respect for an individual’s right to autonomy,1 the benefits of an ethnically diverse workforce and the opportunities for professional and personal exchange.2,3 However, there are concerns relating to the adverse effects international migration of nurses may have on depleted workforces and healthcare systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, which has been heightened due to the global pandemic.2–4
The article below is not freely available but may be accessed through databases and libraries to which readers have access.
The relationship between ethical position and whistleblowing: A cross-sectional study among nurses.
Çekiç, Y., Tuna, R., & Eskin Bacaksiz, F. (2022).
Journal of Clinical Nursing, 00, 1– 9. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.16607
Aim and Objectives
The aim of this study is to determine nurses' ethical positions, whistleblowing intention and its causes, and to analyse the correlation between them, while revealing the personal and professional characteristics causing significant difference.
Background
In today's challenging healthcare settings, ethical dilemmas are inherent to nursing practices, leading to situations whereby nurses must consider whistleblowing and reasons such as reporting medical errors or misbehaviors.
The above information has been collated for the College of Nurses Aotearoa (NZ) Inc by Linda Stopforth, SNIPS and is provided on a weekly basis. It is current as of 21 March
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